Current Social Evils

Between July and September 2007 the Joseph Rowntree Foundation asked the public to consider what social evils face the United Kingdom today. The list below is the result of a web survey of 3,500 people and discussions with groups whose voices are not usually heard.

It reveals a strong sense of unease about some of the changes shaping British society.

Participants highlighted the following concerns about how we seem to live our lives:

a decline of community;

individualism;

consumerism and greed;

a decline of values.

Against this backdrop, people identified some more concrete social evils:

decline of the family;

young people as victims or perpetrators;

drugs and alcohol;

poverty and inequality;

immigration and responses to immigration;

crime and violence.

Feel free to leave your comments on any of the above pages. We are particularly interested in hearing about any possible solutions you have in mind.